The present invention relates generally to a signal conditioning method and apparatus and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing an electrical interface between an aircraft and an associated store.
Modern aircraft, such as an F-15E aircraft manufactured by the assignee of the present invention, and the P-3, the S-3 and the F-16 aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company, are adapted to carry stores. These stores can, for example, include missiles, such as the Walleye missile, the Standoff Land Attack missile (SLAM), the Harpoon missile, and the Maverick missile. A missile is generally mounted to the wing of a host aircraft, typically via disconnectable pylons, such that the aircraft can carry the missile to the vicinity of the target destination prior to its deployment.
Prior to, during and even after deployment of a store, the aircraft and the associated store communicate. For example, signals are bidirectionally transmitted between the aircraft and the store to appropriately configure and launch the store. This prelaunch configuration can include downloading the coordinates of the target and initializing the various sensors of the store. In addition, a store, such as a SLAM missile, can transmit a video image, typically via radio frequency (RF) signals, of the target to the aircraft after deployment so that the flight path of the store can be monitored, and, in some instances, controlled to provide greater targeting accuracy.
In order to provide bidirectional signal transmission between the aircraft and the associated store, a host aircraft typically includes an aircraft controls and displays module. The aircraft controls and displays module provides an interface by which the crew of the aircraft can monitor and control their flight pattern and can provide armament control, such as to control the deployment of the associated store. The aircraft controls and displays module typically includes both discrete controls, such as toggle switches, as well as a joystick for positioning and selecting a cursor within the associated display. The aircraft controls and displays module also provides the necessary avionics to fly the aircraft and to communicate with other aircraft and ground base control stations.
The bidirectional communication between the host aircraft and at least some associated missiles is further facilitated by a second type of store, namely, a data link pod. The data link pod, such as an AN/AWW-13 or AN/AWW-14 data link pod, is associated with the missile to provide a video interface with the aircraft controls and displays module. For example, a data link pod is typically employed in conjunction with a SLAM missile to provide an RF data link between the SLAM missile and the host aircraft.
Both the aircraft and the associated store typically process signals according to a predetermined format. As used herein, format refers not only to the actual configuration of the data structures, but also to the content and order of transmission of the signals. The predetermined formats of the aircraft and the store are oftentimes different. In order to ensure proper signal reception by the host aircraft and the associated store, the signals must thus be provided to the aircraft or store in the predetermined format that the aircraft or store is adapted to process.
In addition, each different type of aircraft and each different type of store generally processes signals according to a different predetermined format. In order to ensure that signals are transmitted between the aircraft and the associated store according to the proper predetermined format, each store is typically adapted to be mounted and deployed by only predetermined types of aircraft. Thus, a missile and its associated data link pod, if any, can be configured to process signals according to the predetermined format of the predetermined types of aircraft from which it is adapted to be deployed in order to ensure proper transmission of signals therebetween. By limiting each type of store to deployment from only certain predetermined types of aircraft, however, the flexibility with which stores can be deployed from aircraft is significantly restricted.
Likewise, aircraft are typically designed to interface with and deploy only one or more predetermined types of stores to ensure that signals are properly transmitted therebetween. By limiting each aircraft in the types of stores which it can deploy, however, the flexibility with which aircraft can deploy stores is further restricted.
One method and system for controlling and monitoring a store is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,465 issued Jul. 30, 1991 to Ackramin, Jr. et al. (the ""465 patent), U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,466 issued Jul. 30, 1991 to Fitzgerald et al. (the ""466 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,063 issued Jul. 7, 1992 to Sianola et al. (the ""063 patent), each of which are assigned to Grumman Aerospace Corporation. The ""465, ""466 and ""063 patents disclose data processing systems for supporting an armament system. In particular, the ""465, ""466 and ""063 patents disclose methods and systems for deploying several types of stores from a single aircraft.
The systems and methods disclosed in the ""465, ""466 and ""063 patents, however, require modification of the central control processor of the aircraft and the addition of even more interface electronics to the aircraft controls and display module. Accordingly, the methods and systems of the ""465, ""466 and ""063 patents further increase the demand on the central control processor of the aircraft which must not only process flight and targeting data, but also must provide an interface with a variety of types of stores. The store control and monitoring system of the ""456, ""466 and ""063 patents is further limited by requiring the type of aircraft from which the store is to be deployed to be known in order to properly configure the central control processor and the aircraft controls and displays unit to interface with the different types of stores.
Therefore, to increase the flexibility with which stores can be deployed from aircraft such that a plurality of types of stores could be launched from a plurality of types of aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, now a subsidiary of the present assignee, developed the method and apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,510, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This apparatus comprises a universal electrical interface that can be added onto an aircraft without having to modify the existing aircraft central control processor, and that enables the aircraft controls and displays module to communicate with any of a plurality of stores requiring different data formats.
A further improvement of the universal electrical interface of the ""510 patent is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,874, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The ""874 patent describes an electrical interface that enables a video image transmitted from a missile after launch to be displayed on a visual display associated with the controls and displays module of the aircraft. The interface also includes a processor that defines a menu of commands for controlling the missile, a video graphics generator that generates a cursor, and a video mixer that overlays the menu of commands and the cursor onto the video image displayed on the visual display. The crew member can control the cursor by moving an input device, such as a joystick, so as to move the cursor over the menu of commands displayed on the display, and can select any of the commands to be sent to the missile via the data link pod.
The video interface apparatus described in the ""874 patent can be used, for example, for controlling a precision-guided missile in a xe2x80x9cman-in-the-loopxe2x80x9d control mode, wherein the crew member places the cursor onto a selected location on the video image being received from the missile, the selected location thereby being identified to the missile as the desired target, and the missile locks onto the target and guides itself, via a guidance unit aboard the missile, so as to intercept the target.
Some precision-guided missiles are also capable of operating in an xe2x80x9cautomatic target recognitionxe2x80x9d (ATR) or xe2x80x9cautomatic target acquisitionxe2x80x9d (ATA) mode. In an ATR/ATA mode, a visual image of a desired target is acquired, for example by satellite photography or by some other type of sensor. Additionally, the coordinates of the target are determined, for example by a Global Positioning System (GPS). The image of the target and the target coordinates are downloaded into a memory unit of the missile prior to the aircraft taking off. The missile has a seeker operable to acquire image data as the missile flies, and a guidance unit aboard the missile is operable to compare the image data with the stored image of the desired target and to recognize the desired target when it is sensed by the seeker. The guidance unit then flies the missile so as to intercept the target.
Planning of the mission of a missile is currently done on the ground prior to the aircraft taking off. Mission planning involves, for example, plotting a series of waypoints along which the missile is to fly after it is launched, designating a target, and downloading these waypoints and the target into the missile""s memory unit. Mission planning may also involve downloading the target image data and target location data (e.g., GPS coordinates) into the missile""s memory unit. In the case of the SLAM-ER missile manufactured by the present assignee, the target image and target location data are formatted on the ground with a computer that is separate from the aircraft, and the formatted data are then transferred onto a data storage xe2x80x9ccassette.xe2x80x9d The cassette is carried on board the aircraft (the F/A-18 aircraft being the only aircraft currently supporting the SLAM-ER capabilities), and the data are downloaded to the missile through the aircraft system. Once the aircraft is in flight, no additional mission-planning data can be downloaded to the missile.
It would be desirable to be able to plan a mission in real time during flight of the aircraft. For example, it would be desirable to be able to select a new target different from one previously stored in the missile, and to download the target information to the missile during aircraft flight.
It would also be desirable to be able to use precision-guided missiles (PGMs) on more than one type of aircraft without having to make modifications to the existing aircraft wiring and central processor. For example, the SLAM-ER missile currently can be used only on the F/A-18 aircraft. Other types of aircraft on which it would be desirable to be able to use the SLAM-ER missile include maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) such as the Navy S-3B, the P-3C, the UK Nimrod, international P-3Cs, and others. However, these aircraft cannot currently support the SLAM-ER capabilities because the SLAM-ER, and the AN/AWW-13 data link pod that is used for communicating with the missile after launch, are designed to interface with a MIL-STD 1760 interface, and the above aircraft are not equipped with this interface, and their central processors used for configuring and launching a missile do not provide data in the format required by the SLAM-ER and AWW-13 pod. Additionally, these aircraft are unable to support the use of target image data (such as acquired by satellite surveillance) in an ATR control mode. It would be desirable to provide some means of converting non-PGM-capable aircraft to have PGM capabilities without having to modify existing aircraft processors and wiring.
The above needs are met and other advantages are achieved by the present invention, which provides apparatus and methods for interfacing between an aircraft controls and displays module and a precision-guided missile such that mission-planning data can be downloaded to the missile during aircraft flight and prior to missile launch. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for providing an interface between a controls and displays module and a missile having ATR capability comprises a target image data interface unit operable to receive target image data from the controls and displays module of the aircraft in a first predetermined format and to translate said target image data into a second predetermined format usable by the missile, and a target location data interface unit operable to receive target location data from the controls and displays module of the aircraft in a third predetermined format and to translate said target location data into a fourth predetermined format usable by the missile. The interface units each are adapted to be connected to a data bus of the aircraft that is connected to the missile such that target image and location data can be downloaded over the data bus to the missile while the aircraft is in flight and prior to launch of the missile, whereby the apparatus permits in-flight mission planning for the missile.
A further advantage of some embodiments of the invention is the ability to perform real-time mission planning, for example by determining waypoints along a path to be flown by the missile after launch, and to download the mission-planning data to the missile prior to launch. For this purpose, it is advantageous to have access to terrain and elevation data for the geographic region in which the missile is to operate, so that the flight path can avoid terrain features such as mountains. To this end, the apparatus of the invention advantageously also includes a map storage unit operable to store terrain and elevation data for a geographic region in which the missile is to operate, and a mission-planning unit in data communication with the map storage unit. The mission-planning unit is operable to bidirectionally communicate with the controls and displays module for displaying the terrain and elevation data on a visual display of the controls and displays module and for receiving mission-planning commands from the controls and displays module and sending the mission-planning commands over the data bus to the missile prior to launch.
The mission-planning unit preferably is operable to receive the mission-planning commands in digitized form from an input device of the controls and displays module. The input device may comprise, for example, a keyboard. The apparatus preferably includes a microprocessor, and the target image data interface unit, the target location data interface unit, and the mission-planning unit are implemented within the microprocessor. Advantageously, a memory device that stores executable routines is in data communication with the mission-planning unit, the mission-planning unit executing the routines so as to implement functions of the interface units and to communicate with the controls and displays module and the missile.
In some preferred embodiments of the invention, adapted for use on an aircraft that carries a data link pod operable to communicate with the missile after launch, the apparatus further comprises a data link interface unit adapted to be connected between the controls and displays module and the data link pod. The data link interface unit is operable to process video image data received by the data link pod from the missile after launch, such that the video image data can be displayed on a visual display of the controls and displays module. The data link interface unit is further operable to process command signals generated in the controls and displays module and communicate said command signals to the data link pod for transmission to the missile after launch.
The data link interface unit in preferred embodiments includes a video processor operable to receive digitally encoded video image data provided by the data link pod and to decode the video image data into a format suitable for displaying on the visual display of the controls and displays module. The video processor advantageously comprises a video mixer and a video graphics generator. The video graphics generator is operable to generate a cursor and a menu of commands available to a crew member, and is coupled with the video mixer such that the video mixer causes the visual display of the commands and displays module to display a video image received from the missile overlaid by the menu of commands and cursor. A controller coupled with the video graphics generator is operable to receive positioning signals from an input device in the aircraft, and to cause the video graphics generator to position the cursor on the visual display responsive to the positioning signals. For example, a crew member may manipulate a joystick for positioning the cursor so as to select a command from the menu of commands and cause the command to be sent to the data link pod for transmission to the missile. The command may, for example, tell the missile to change from one control mode to another. The data link interface unit preferably is operable to continually process and relay control signals received from the commands and displays module to the data link pod for transmission to the missile for controlling the missile in a man-in-the-loop control mode.
The invention also provides a method for in-flight planning of a mission for a precision-guided missile carried by an aircraft for launching against a target, the missile being operable to automatically recognize a target as corresponding to a predetermined target defined by target image data stored in a memory unit of the missile and to guide the missile to the target based on target location data stored in the memory unit of the missile. The method comprises receiving target image data from a controls and displays module of the aircraft in a first predetermined format and translating said target image data into a second predetermined format usable by the missile; receiving target location data from the controls and displays module of the aircraft in a third predetermined format and translating said target location data into a fourth predetermined format usable by the missile; and downloading the translated target image and location data over a data bus to the missile while the aircraft is in flight and prior to launch of the missile. The target image data can be received by the aircraft by transmission from a sensor remote from the aircraft, as can the target location data. The data would typically be encoded in a particular format, and would require reformatting before being downloaded to the missile. As noted above, this process is currently done on the ground before aircraft takeoff. With the present invention, however, the data can be reformatted and downloaded to the missile during aircraft flight prior to missile launch. The invention thus allows in-flight mission planning for precision-guided missiles equipped to operate in an ATR mode.
The method of the invention preferably also includes storing terrain and elevation data for a geographic region in which the missile is to operate after launch in a data storage device aboard the aircraft; retrieving and displaying the terrain and elevation data on a visual display aboard the aircraft; determining missile mission parameters during flight of the aircraft prior to launch of the missile based on the terrain and elevation data displayed on the visual display; and downloading the missile mission parameters over the data bus to the missile prior to launch.
In other embodiments, the method includes using a data link pod carried by the aircraft to receive a video image transmitted by the missile after launch and to generate video image data; processing the video image data generated by the data link pod and displaying the processed video image data on a video display aboard the aircraft; using the displayed video image data to determine control commands for altering the mission of the missile; and sending said control commands to the data link pod for transmission to the missile after launch. For example, a control command can be sent for causing the missile mission to be changed from an automatic target-recognition mode to a man-in-the-loop mode for controlling the flight of the missile.